On Tuesday 4th June I voted to support renewable energy and jobs by backing a move to clean up UK power and tackle climate change.

Many of my colleagues and I voted for an amendment to the Energy Bill that would set the Government a legal target to remove carbon emissions from the UK's power supply almost entirely by 2030.

Businesses argue that the move would reassure companies looking to make long-term investments in the green economy that could create new jobs. It would end Britain's heavy reliance on gas and would also stop rising gas prices from driving up fuel bills,

267 MPs voted for the proposal, including the Labour Party, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the DUP, the Green Party and 16 Liberal Democrats and 8 Conservative backbenchers who defied the Government. The vote was lost by just 23 votes: the biggest MP rebellion on a whipped vote since tuition fees in 2010.

A clean power target is expected to be a key issue when the Bill is debated in the House of Lords later this month.

Green is working - the green economy supports almost a million jobs already and it is helping to stop dangerous climate change.

But green companies and their supply chains will only make long-term investments if there's a clear pathway for renewable energy in the future. That's why I voted for a target to cut the carbon from our electricity by 2030 - it would help stabilise the climate and provide much needed jobs, as well as keeping bills as low as possible in the long-term.